Profile: Doug Raymond
Followed his family to Western and fell in love with Huron - and through a bursary, is providing financial help to others who can experience Huron for themselves.
Doug Raymond comes from a rich UWO heritage as each of his parents and two of four grandparents attended Western. He grew up hearing stories about the university but once Doug saw and experienced Huron's atmosphere, he knew Huron was the place for him.
"It offered all the benefits of the broader university but scaled down in a more intimate way," he says. The small class size and Huron's smaller campus were attributes that Doug says benefitted him enormously.
"Huron really gave me the chance to get to know my fellow students," he says.
Coming from the small town of Exeter, Ontario, Doug felt right at home at Huron and, through the creation of The Raymond Family Bursary Fund for Huron County Students, he hopes not only to help students financially from Huron County so they can attend Huron College, but at the same time encourage them to encounter similar experiences he enjoyed as a Huron student.
Doug says he was already thinking of creating a bursary, and after learning about the Ontario Trust for Student Support, an initiative whereby the Ontario government matches donations for bursary endowments, his commitment to create a bursary at this time was cemented since his gift would go twice as far.
"It's a way to amplify the impact a donation can have for sure. I would encourage people to understand the impact this has," he says.